Interfacial chemical engineering of Fe3O4/graphene oxide–hybrid PCL nanofibers: Tunable structure–property relationships for potential tissue engineering platforms

Engineering polymer nanofibers through controlled interfacial chemistry provides an effective strategy for tailoring structure–property relationships in hybrid organic–inorganic systems. In this study, electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibers incorporating a Fe 3 O 4 /graphene oxide (GO) hybrid nanophase were developed to investigate how oxide–carbon interfaces influence the physicochemical behavior of a semicrystalline polymer matrix. Graphene oxide introduces oxygen-containing functional groups and a high-aspect-ratio carbon framework, while Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles provide an inorganic phase capable of interacting with both GO sheets and PCL chains through interfacial interactions. Structural characterization using FTIR and XRD confirmed the successful incorporation of the hybrid nanofillers and indicated interactions that influence polymer chain organization and crystallinity. Thermal analysis revealed that the Fe 3 O 4 –GO hybrid phase increased the thermal degradation onset temperature of the composite nanofibers by approximately 40 °C compared with pristine PCL. SEM observations showed that the electrospun scaffolds maintained a uniform nanofibrous architecture while exhibiting modified surface morphology and nanoscale roughness after nanofiller incorporation. Biological evaluation demonstrated that all scaffolds supported the viability and proliferation of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSCs). Notably, the Fe 3 O 4 –GO–PCL scaffold exhibited significantly higher metabolic activity after *14 days of culture ( p < 0.05) compared with pristine PCL and GO–PCL scaffolds. Furthermore, Alizarin Red S staining after 21 days of osteogenic induction revealed enhanced calcium deposition on the hybrid scaffold, indicating improved mineralization potential. Overall, these findings demonstrate that the synergistic integration of Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles and graphene oxide within electrospun PCL fibers enables simultaneous modulation of thermal behavior, surface morphology, and cellular responses. The developed Fe 3 O 4 –GO–PCL nanofibrous scaffold therefore represents a promising platform for further investigation in bone tissue engineering applications.